Ercan Ganzorig
Born to a long line of royal guards, it was only natural that Ercan would follow and join as well. Of an age with King Ruslar and the son of the head of the royal guard, Ercan and Ruslar grew up together as friends. Ruslar’s father, King Evren, recognized the importance of Ercan’s friendship and loyalty to Ruslar and, knowing that Ercan would almost certainly take his father’s place, gifted Ercan with a young lady from the women’s quarters. Her name was Sana, and Ercan quickly fell in love with her. She was not only beautiful but gifted with a quick mind and a sharp wit. They were married when he was sixteen and she was fifteen, and before the year was out, they had a daughter, Tanith. Though Ercan and Sana had no other children, Ercan doted on his daughter and was delighted when she was chosen for the women’s quarters at the age of sixteen and broken hearted when she was kidnapped while bathing the morning she was to be transported to the palace. Still, Ercan remained loyal, and felt heartache again when his new queen, Rhosyn, and the royal twins she had given birth to were kidnapped. He was certain it had been done by the same warlord who had taken his own daughter nearly twenty years prior, causing his wife to die of heartache. Ercan worked closely with Artunis Summerbreeze, the only female general in the Seosan military. He trained the royal guard. She trained the women. They both knew that someday, the prophecy would be fulfilled, and a woman who found both riding and shooting a bow and arrow to be instinctive would rise up and lead the women that Artunis was training. That woman turned out to be Princess Nia of Linwood. Ercan stood proudly when word came that Queen Rhosyn, Prince Rowan, and Princess Nisha had been returned safely, and that Prince Rowan was now King Rowan of Linwood and Princess Nia’s father. What delighted him more than anything, however, was that Tanith was also returned safely. Ercan enjoyed regular visits with his daughter, who came to see him, though she was staying in the protection of the women’s quarters. He learned that he had three grandsons, one of whom was married to Princess Nia, and that he would soon have a great-grandchild. On one of these visits, she surprised him by taking her mother’s pearl jewelry, a pair of earrings and a matching necklace, stating that she wished to give them as a gift to Princess Nisha on the occasion of her marriage to Aeron Windrunner, a Ranger of Linwood whom Ercan had been training in Seosan military tactics. Ercan’s pride and joy were not to last long, however. First, his youngest grandson was accused of treason. Then, he learned that the true traitor was his dear daughter. Sadly, he agreed to help trick her into confessing her crimes on the night she was to return to Bhimar. A week later, he attended her execution, and as Nia was now in Linwood and Eskander was on the run, having escaped the night before his scheduled execution, Ercan alone provided her with funeral rites. No longer having much to live for and knowing Bhimar might seek vengeance at any time, Ercan gave Queen Rhosyn the rest of his wife’s jewels to give to Princess Nia, and begged King Ruslar to select what he liked of his weapons and give the rest into safe keeping for the great-grandson he expected from Nia. A week later, Bhimar attacked and took his head. Ercan was buried with full honors next to his wife and daughter.